Love, Libraries, and Other L Words
by LostGetFound
Summary: He had a plan. And where Scorpius Malfoy was concerned, plans had a tendency to bring heaps of trouble and hours of detention. But she had no idea what she was in for, so she did the only thing that a brilliant, well-educated woman would do under the circumstances... She followed him. A Rose/Scor two-shot involving a librarian, an ex-con, and well... read to find out!


**It has been almost a year since I have tried my hand at creative writing of any sort, so please don't laugh at my first try! I've been so busy with school, graduation, and work (journalistic writing) that I haven't as much as thought about trying to write fiction until recently. I have to reread all of my old stuff before I dive back into finishing anything, so this is going to be a two-shot. Quick, easy, and hopefully painless for all involved!**

**Chapter 1: Libraries and Long-Distance**

**Present Day, Four Years After Graduation **

Not for the first time, Rose Weasley wondered how her life turned out this way. Here she was, turning twenty-one this very afternoon, and she was all alone. Sure, she had plenty of family members to keep her company… it sometimes felt as if the number was actually nearing the hundreds lately with everyone suddenly having babies left and right.

She had a few close girlfriends. But all of them were far away from her job… from her home… from Hogwarts.

She had once had a boyfriend, too, but he was gone, missing, for nearly eight months now. She doubted she would ever be lucky enough to see him again.

"Excuse me, Miss, but do you work here?"

At any other time, Rose would have found the low, masculine voice appealing, but at the moment, she was too distracted. Annoyed would actually be a better term. On top of her current woes, there were the usual ones. All day, every day she had to deal with students making out behind bookshelves or knocking carefully placed displays to the floor.

She had taken this job so that she could live in the castle that had become a home to her, and work on her thesis about the nesting habits of dragons. Not so that she could be a nursemaid to ignorant children, many of whom had no respect for the work she did.

They were little, pesky, and stupid and she was quickly tiring of the games they played. She was so frustrated that she didn't even hear the person standing behind her attempting to get her attention. She just kept shelving book after book with a barely concealed rage. "Miss?" The boy- or man, as his tone seemed to indicate- tried again. "Are you the librarian?"

His statement caught Rose's attention and she responded by rolling her eyes. Without turning around, she muttered, "No, I'm a crazy person who likes to steal book carts and put books away. The librarian lets me stay because I'm quiet."

"I'll take that as a yes, then." The man grinned. "Now, if you'd be so kind as to turn around, I have something to ask of you."

Rose whirled, a tiny ball of red hot fury, and stopped on a dime when she saw his face. She almost kicked herself for not recognizing him sooner. Because while she may not have recognized the voice, the face… now that was a face she had known for what felt like a lifetime.

"Scorpius!"

She threw herself into his arms without a second thought. It had been more than a year, but it felt so, so good to be there again. Inside the circle of Scorpius' arms were where she belonged. And now that she was there, come hell or high water, she was going to stay.

"Rose," he whispered over and over again. "Rose, my Rose."

"I can't believe you're here!" She shouted, squeezing him tight. "I'm glad you're okay! You have no idea how worried you had me!"

Her mind flashed way back, back to the moment she first saw him, standing next to his father on that train platform. She hadn't thought much of him then. Her attention had been inexplicably drawn and held, not by the nameless blonde she was instructed to hate, but days later by _Scorpius_. Or Scorp, as she liked to call him in her head.

She had first noticed Scorp in Defense Against the Dark Arts. In less than five minutes, he had introduced himself to every one present and the roused the group of sleepy first years to join in a class-wide game of exploding snap. Rose was smart, so smart that her intelligence on any matter was rarely ever questioned, but she truly believed that Scorpius was brilliant. He was in possession of a talent that she would never master: the art of charming people.

Scorpius, on the other hand, had always been aware of the vivacious redhead who was known for her brilliant, if quiet nature. However, he had only acted upon the impulse to ask her out after years of merely friendly conversations. Something about her always begged for more. She drew him in, and just when he thought he had reached the depths of her sparkling wit, she pulled him in even further. He had spent a couple of blissful years drowning in her depths before his departure to worlds unknown.

"Look at me, Rosie!" He smiled down at her. "I'm fine. No worse for the wear."

"I barely believe it," she whispered, hugging him even closer.

"I'm just full of surprises today," he grinned.

"Yes, yes you are." The love of his life agreed. "You're also full of crap, but then you knew that too. You said you had a question to ask me. What was it?"

"Not here," he whispered, suddenly remembering that the library was home to hoards of studying children (many of whom were staring openly) as well as stacks of books. "It's big. Really big. Let's go somewhere more private."

He disentangled himself from her arms, staring down at her affectionately. She was beautiful, his Rose. She was crimson and gold, a living embodiment of her house. She hated the sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose, but he loved them. They were adorable just like the rest of her.

"Follow me," he smirked that charming smirk and she was powerless.

He tugged at her hand and pulled her after him. She could no longer see his face, but if she had been able to, she would have run the other direction. Because Scorpius was wearing his trademark troublemaker's grin, the one he always seemed to have on right about the time something blew up. Rose knew exactly what it meant, having been on the receiving end of the trouble that followed for years now.

It meant that he had a plan.

And where Scorpius Malfoy was concerned, plans had a tendency to bring heaps of trouble and hours of detention. But she had no idea what she was in for, so she did the only thing that a brilliant, well-educated woman would do under the circumstances. She followed him.


End file.
